Welcome to Riverbend Rural Retreat. This is our cottage, hottage or rural home or country property. We call it Riverbend to simplify what it is. A place to relax and restore.
When we looked for a cottage, our budget was very limited and small, so we could only stretch our funds to purchase a small home on a river in a rural area. There are no motorized watercraft on the river due to the large rocks, yet it is ideal for kayaks. Our neighbours are farmers, marshes, wetlands, and farm fields left to naturalize.
The gardens here are all low maintenance and designed to embrace nature and the beauty of silence. We are slowly updating the overgrown areas; however, our priority is usually sharing the beauty with family and friends, swimming, kayaking, reading books and making food from the abundance of local produce from the farmer’s market.
Garden is Zone 4 USDA, or in Canada, Zone 5a/5b and is located in Eastern Ontario, Canada.
Having both a rural property and a city garden means we have to learn how to create low-maintenance yet beautiful gardens and arrangements in pots in both properties that require inconsistent watering yet still thrive. Our definition of low maintenance may not be your definition, and that’s okay. We love being outdoors and creating calm spaces for everyone to enjoy.
The video footage is from September 2019, and we have since created a food forest here. Be sure to subscribe as we take you on the journey of managing two properties.
Here are a few of the most viewed videos of my garden videos
How to keep moisture in Cocofiber pots (131,000 views)
August 2019 Garden Tour
July 2019 Garden Tour
June 2019 Garden Tour
This watering video is ideal for those of us who water by hand
I’m also on Instagram at @joannblondin https://www.instagram.com/joannblondin/
3 Comments
I LOVE this tour, I have missed your videos and your garden. Riverbend is such a heaven, the little beach area next to the river seems like a relaxing place to be and the path up the hill is just so magical. I can't wait to see how you have transformed this space.
Beautiful ! What’s the name of the town and city? My husband and I love to drive to little towns is our hobby, and get away from our kids 😬
Such a beautiful property. I love how quiet it sounds. I bet it is relaxing to spend time there. I am amazed you can grow hosta and hydrangeas out in the open. I'm glad you don't have an issue with deer. Of course, you have beaver chopping down actual trees, so maybe the deer are easier to deal with (LOL). Thanks for the tour Jo-Ann. It's an amazing place.